Nevill Holt Festival adds more shows to the 2025 line up

The new shows announced include a variety of music, comedy, and family fun staged across three areas of the festival. The complete line up will be announced in due course.

Trinny Woodall hosts an in conversation hour. Having built a loyal community as the founder and CEO of Trinny London, she will be hosting the event at the Leicestershire estate discussing styling, make-up and entrepreneurship.

Joining the food programme is leading nutritionist and Sunday Times bestselling author Emily English, who is hosting an in-conversation event, to discuss the key themes from her new book Live to Eat.

Composer Gavin Bryars joins the music offering this year. Through the David Ross Education Trust (DRET), Bryars has been collaborating with students from local secondary schools to perform this unique concert especially for the festival. A visionary in contemporary classical music, Bryars is best known for works such as The Sinking of the Titanic and Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet, both featured in this performance. These compositions weave history, humanity, and sound into a moving musical experience.

Critically acclaimed musical comedy duo Bounder & Cad join the festival. These ‘troubadours of the TikTok age’ make musical mischief, accompanied by a jazz trio of piano, double-bass and drums. British comedian, magician and television host Archie Manners also joins the comedy line up.

Additions to the comedy line up includes the Dad’s Army Radio Show, as the nation’s favourite sitcom returns with Perry and Croft’s classic BBC comedy, which is brought to life in this acclaimed stage production. Presented at the festival are three episodes of the popular sitcom, with two actors and two microphones, performing over 25 characters.

Underbelly’s Cabaret Allstars takes over the stunning Spiegeltent on the lawn, presenting jaw-dropping acts from world-leading performers. Expect to be wowed as Underbelly curates an incredible evening of circus, cabaret and music.

For families, in a series of funny and engaging skits, and again in partnership with the David Ross Education Trust, Dead Poets Live presents the best possible introduction to poetry for early teens as audiences will hear poems from a span of cultures and ages. Additions to the literary programme includes The Josephine Hart Poetry Hour - The Poetry of the Natural World where renowned actors bring iconic poetry to life, during this glorious hour of poetry about the natural world from some of the globe’s best poets.

Rounding out the Family programme, festival goers can also discover their inner voice and learn how to beatbox with The Beatbox Collective, where audiences can enjoy award-winning live beatbox battles. Elsewhere, kids aged 5 to 12 are invited to learn circus skills from the National Centre for Circus Arts. A rare opportunity to work with one of the leading centres in contemporary circus training, children will explore a variety of beginner circus techniques in a fun and supportive environment.

For sports fans, The Good, The Bad & The Rugby ‘Live and Unleashed’ sees England Rugby alumnus James Haskell and his podcast co-host former Sky Sports’ rugby presenter Alex Payne visit Nevill Holt for an unforgettable live podcast. You can also join James and Alex for an exclusive post-show dinner to get even more rugby stories and ‘behind the scenes’ gossip.

Finalising the design programme, Nina Campbell OBE, Veere Grenney and Alidad Mahloudji presents Design and Decoration: Lessons from the Greats, which will be hosted by Hatta Byng Editor of House & Garden.

Nevill Holt Festival has also announced the continued partnership of Jigsaw Art Foundation and Nevill Holt Festival, continuing with Jigsaw's close alignment to the arts and supporting art and culture throughout the UK. In 2025 this includes the Jigsaw Art Foundation Day and a pop-up shop on site throughout the festival where visitors can shop the latest collections.

Further programming for the Nevill Holt festival is due to be announced.